The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

Saturday, August 30, 2008

"We believe that the decision to list the polar bear was not based on the best scientific and commercial data available."

-Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin

If you heard some strange distant laughter yesterday, well, that was me! You see, I heard very early in the morning that GOP presidential hopeful John McCain had chosen Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin, as his running mate, and I couldn't stop laughing! Tee Hee Hee Hee. Is McCain thinking straight? Did Bush tell him to do it? Did he lose a bet? Or could it be that he is pandering to disgruntled female democrats, who are still feeling the sting of losing Hillary Clinton? If it is the latter, well, let me make it clear for him... NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS MCCAIN!!

As a woman who fits into the demographic McCain is seeking to appease, 40 somethings of the middle class, I wouldn't see myself voting for a woman who is by all indication the Anti-Hillary, in a million years! She is Anti-Roe v Wade, Anti-Environment, and Pro-War. She embraces every ideal to the exact opposite of Hillary Clinton, so why would John McCain believe for even a moment that I am so devastated after watching Hillary Clinton lose the nomination to Barack Obama that I would simply give up on my lifelong ideals to vote for just any woman on a presidential ticket? Is that what the right thinks about women such as myself? Is that the regard they have for us?If so, isn't that sad?

My reservations about voting for Obama never had anything to to with gender, they had to do with the man's policies, and his attempts of late, to establish himself as more of a centrist figure, rather then the true democratic liberal we need to fix the mess caused by the Bush administration. I have felt let down by him for most of this summer, and I have even toyed with the thought of removing him from my sidebar, but I decided to wait until the Democratic Convention, and until after I heard who his running mate would be. I am glad I waited. I more then approve of his running mate, I applaud it.

I am now, in fact, renewed in my hope that a democrat will indeed be elected to the White House. Senator Joe Biden is a strong man, with all the experience needed to do well in that office. I have always considered him a bit to the left of Hillary Clinton, which is what we need right now. In fact, while I was supporting Hillary Clinton for president, I could see Joe Biden as her running mate, although I have been very impressed with Tim Kaine, since he delivered the democratic response to the State of the Union in 2006. He would have been a good choice as well.

Anyway, I suppose that McCain chose Sarah Palin without my demographic in mind at all, instead finding someone who would appeal to republican women. I have heard a lot of republican women who are ready to see a woman in the White House. I suppose that is a possibility, but the question I have to ask those women is, do you really believe this woman is qualified to be Vice President? Really? She hasn't even been the Governor of Alaska for two years, and before that she was a member of the Wasilla, Alaska, City Counsel. That is the extent of her political career. Is that who you want as Vice President?

If so, consider the under qualified men and women that George Bush put into various offices, and the damage caused by doing so. Now, knowing that, letting experience guide you, do you really see yourself voting for that ticket? If McCain really wanted a woman for his running mate, wouldn't someone like Carly Fiorina have been a stronger choice? John McCain has learned nothing from the mistakes of George Bush. He has learned nothing about what America wants or needs. That makes him not just the worst choice for president, that makes him the most dangerous choice as well.

Opinions, opinions. Tell me what you think. Are you happy with the Democratic ticket? How about the Republican ticket? Are you even planning to vote in November? Who would your dream ticket have been? Would you vote for a woman just because she is a woman? Would you ever consider jumping ship from your political party because of race or gender? Speak your mind, lets get to know each other better! :)

Thursday, August 28, 2008

"I wish there were a knob on the TV to turn up the intelligence. There's a knob called brightness, but that doesn't work."

-Unknown

This is probably my least favorite week of the year. The last week of August. It's not quite autumn yet, but the mornings are already becoming a bit nippy, and the leaves are falling just enough to make me crave a full fledged autumn day. In addition to being a complete seasonal tease... it is also perhaps the most boring week of the year, as we stand just on the edge of the new fall TV season.

I didn't watch much of the Olympics, I just couldn't get into it. George Bush was acting like an ass, an even bigger one then he usually does, and all the political controversy has left a bad taste in my mouth. Sigh. I don't know why or how China was chosen to hold the Olympics, to me it seemed like a dreadful idea, given the way they treat their own people. I won't even go into the whole kicking people from their house, and the massive toxic clean-up it took to hold the games in China, I am sure you all heard about it. Anyway, the lack of good TV this time of year, makes me look forward to all the new shows about to debut, as if it were actually a holiday. LOL.

I took a look at the complete 2008 - 2009 Fall Schedule, over at TV Guide, and as seasons go, this year seems a bit lackluster. Although, there are a couple new shows that actually look kind of fun. Kath and Kim, with Molly Shannon, and Selma Blair, looks really funny, and Worst Week, on ABC, also looks like it could be a nice companion to one of my favorite shows on Monday nights, "Two-and-a-Half Men." Humor is big with me, I like a good drama from time to time, but humor will get my attention every time. Speaking of humor, don't you wish we could see a little more of the political conventions? We got full coverage of the Olympics, but when it comes to American Politics, we get just the highlights. There is something wrong with that!

I am looking forward to seeing a lot of the returning shows like, Samantha Who, Private Practice, Gray's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, How I Met Your Mother, Real Time With Bill Maher, Ghost Whisperer, and Dancing With The Stars, and my very favorite, Pushing Daisies. Hmmm... look at that... I guess I watch more TV on ABC, then any of the other networks. I never really noticed that before. Hmmmm. Anyway, I guess what is plaguing me is the end of summer blues. And everyone knows there is no cure for that! LOL. I will just have to be content a little while longer with these inane "summer break" shows, as I pine away for autumn!

How about you, do you find yourself watching one network more then any other?Is there a certain new show you will be looking forward to? How about from the returning shows, is there one you like best? What classic TV show do you wish someone would do over? Personally, I think a do-over of "I Love Lucy" with Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos would just be fun! What do you think? Tell me everything!

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

"Don't cry for a man who's left you, the next one may fall for your smile."

-Mae West

Fun! Fun? What's that again? Oh yeah, I remember! Despite all the stress in our lives lately, Alan and I do remember how fun, fun can be. The trouble is, due to the crashing economy, everything has gotten so expensive. Heck, a nice dinner and a movie could cost about $65.00 dollars! If we did go out for an evening like that, and enjoyed it, we would probably be ruminating over the cost the next day. That's not fun. So what's a married couple, who likes to date each other even after nearly 18 years of marriage, do for date night? Well, if they keep their eyes open, something really special might just present itself. And last Friday night... it did!

Dunsmuir House & Gardens, held a "Movie on the Lawn" night! The cost of the tickets were $5.00 each, and the movie was non other than, our movie, "So I Married An Axe Murderer." I know it sounds funny to have that as our movie, but it is such a cute movie, and we are both big fans of Mike Meyers. And it doesn't hurt that the movie was filmed in San Francisco, and that a portion of the film was also shot right here in the Oakland hills at... you guessed it... Dunsmuir House! LOL. I can't even tell you how cool it was to watch the movie, see Dunsmuir house on the screen, and also know it was right behind us at the same time. It was almost like stepping into the movie. :)

The gates opened to the general public at 6:00 pm, and we were encouraged to bring some blankets, some comfortable chairs and picnic dinner. We did just that. We brought some sodas, and a couple homemade roast beef sandwiches, and had a blast just hanging out, playing Travel Scrabble, and reminiscing until the movie started at 8:30 pm. The Jensen Family, who hosted the event, had an extra special reason for being there that night, it seems their son, Jessie, had found the girl of his dreams in the lovely Amanda, and the evening was serving as their engagement party! Love was in the air. To make it all just a little more romantic, we found out that Jessie's parents were married at Dunsmuir House 30 years ago! Aren't family traditions like that just the best?

I hope Dunsmuir House will hold another movie night this year. There are lots of films that have been shot on the grounds, such as, Phantasm, A View To A Kill, and Burnt Offerings, which would be a hoot to see on the lawn screen. I would love to go back again before the cold weather comes in. We had such a good time, and the crowd was a lot of fun. Each time we saw the bridge in the movie, a cheer would go up, and when Dunsmuir House appeared, the sound was downright deafening. FUN! It was good to get away from all the stress, if even for just a little while. It's good to date your spouse. It's good to never lose the things you enjoyed when you were young, and stress seemed like something that happened to other people.

Monday, August 25, 2008

"An idea is a point of departure and no more. As soon as you elaborate on it, it becomes transformed by thought."

-Pablo Picasso

New Monday Photo Shoot #35: Departure of Destruction. Photograph a departure of some sort, people walking away, a train pulling out of a station, a graduation, whatever - or evidence of destruction. If your photos combine the two somehow, that's even better!

I chose the picture you see above, because Karen always seemed to enjoy it. She has given me a lot of positive feedback over the years about my photos, and it was always so appreciated. I remembered you liked that photo Karen, so that one is especially for you! :)

About The Monday Photo Shoot...

As you probably read over on Karen's blog, Outpost Mavarin, as of next Monday, September 1st, I will be taking over the Monday Photo Shoot. The MPS has been a big part of my blogging life since our Blogfather, John Scalzi, debuted the project back in March of 2004. I was very sad when he left AOL at the end of last year, because I had appreciated the effort he put into both the MPS and the Weekend Assignments. Both memes allowed me to step out of my own comfort zone, and do an assignment that I more then likely wouldn't have tackled all on my own. Sometimes I needed to step out of my own box, and challenge myself. That's what a challenge is supposed to do... right?

I was relived, and very pleased, when Scalzi personally handed the reins of the MPS to Karen. She did a great job with it over the last 8 months, with some really good, strong assignments. I always enjoyed the weeks I played under Karen's direction very much, I wish I could have played more weeks, but unfortunately sometimes things just got in my way. Life has been hectic in our little cottage, and I am sorry if I wasn't as supportive as I could have been, because I really thought she did an excellent job with it. But I do understand the feeling of burnout that she mentions. Blogging can do that to you, and every once in a while, it is a good idea to take a step back and reassess your priorities.

So, when she asked me a couple weeks ago if I was still interested in taking over the MPS I said "YES!" See, I think it will be a good project for me right now. We are coming into the autumn and winter months, where I always feel at my most creative. The problem is, I know that getting out with the camera will be a bit more challenging this year due to my recent diagnosis of degenerative arthritis in my right knee. Doing the MPS will help me center my own creativity, and give it a finer focus. I did a lot of thinking about it, and I talked to Alan, and I really think it will be a nice way to keep my creativity going strong.

I have some fresh ideas for the MPS, and I think they will be ones you will enjoy a lot, but over all it will still be about a group of friends and fellow bloggers chasing away the Monday blues, by sharing their love of photography with one another. If you want to play along, well that would be just wonderful, but if you are busy, or uninspired by a topic I choose, or just plain don't wanna play along... lol... that's fine too. No worries. We all get busy, we all have those days when things just don't seem to fit. It happens. When I get that way, I pick up my camera, but that's just me.

Anyway, I want to thank John Scalzi, for creating the MPS, and Karen, for all her hard work and effort with it, since he handed it over to her last January. Without the two of you, Monday would have just been Monday, with you, Monday became a photographic adventure! I promise to try my best with this project, and make it a fun and creative outlet for everyone. So, I will see you next Monday, and hopefully for many more Monday's to come!